Tag: Deuteronomy

Reflections on Deuteronomy 5-8

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Our passage today teaches us about God and how we should respond to him.

  • Saving God (5:6-21) – God saved the people of Israel from slavery. In response, they were to obey him.  God has saved us from slavery to sin through Jesus Christ.  In response, God expects us to obey him.  Are you responding properly to your Savior?
  • Great God (5:22-33) – In the fire and thunder of Sinai, the people got a glimpse of God’s greatness. The goal was that the people might fear God with a reverent awe.  Do you have a reverent fear of God?  Do you treat him with reverence and awe?
  • One God (6:4-5) – There is only one God. That being said, we owe him all of our allegiance.  We are to love him with all of our being, with every part of who we are, with all that we have.  In what ways are you loving or failing to love God with your thoughts, words, actions, time, finances, activities, work, rest, family, relationships?
  • Loving God (7:6-15) – God showed his incredible love to the people of Israel by making them his treasured possession, delivering them from Egypt, and blessing them. Note that his love was based not on them, but simply his act of love.  In response, again they are to obey God’s commands.  To what extent have you grasped God’s love for you?  He loves you not because you are lovable, but simply by his choice to love you.  Ponder his amazing love for you.  How will you respond?

Reflections on Deuteronomy 1-4

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Moses reminds the people of their history with the intent that they learn from it and serve God alone.

  • Unfaithfulness – Throughout the discourse, Moses reminds the people of their unfaithfulness and the consequences of their unfaithfulness. He challenges them to learn from their past unfaithfulness and be faithful to God.  What can you learn from Israel’s past unfaithfulness?
  • God is near – Despite their unfaithfulness, God is with them. He is always near, and so they can call upon him in prayer (4:7).  What needs do you have?  Remember that God is with you, and you can talk to him anytime.
  • Guard your soul – Moses challenges them to “keep your soul diligently” (4:9). They must guard their hearts lest they be led astray. Are you keeping your soul diligently?  What dangers do you need to guard against?
  • One God – Moses teaches the people that there is only one God over all the earth; therefore, they should not serve the false gods of the nations around them. In the midst of the religious pluralism of our day, let us remember there is only one true God, and let us serve him alone.

Deuteronomy 1-8: Fear Our Great God

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(1-8) What do you learn about God from this passage?  List His attributes and actions.

Taken all together, what picture of God does this passage paint?

(7) And this God is our God.  What does 7:6 tell us about being his people (see also I Peter 2:9)?

How does this encourage you?  Challenge you?

(1-8) As God’s people, we should fear our great God (5:29, 6:2, 6:13, 6:24, 8:6).  We need to take God seriously.  What does that look like according to the following verses?

  • 5:29, 6:2, 6:24, 8:6 –
  • 6:5 –
  • 4:15-19, 5:7-10, 7:3-5, 7:16 –
  • 4:9, 4:23, 6:6-12, 8:2, 8:11-14, 8:19 –

What are some practical things that we can do to apply these verses?

  • 1:21, 1:29-30, 3:2, 3:22, 7:17-21 –

In what situations in your life do you need to apply these verses?

Examples of Grace 08

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

Deuteronomy is Moses’ review of Israel’s history and God’s commands for the generation about to enter the Promised Land.  In this book, there are some wonderful examples of grace.

God is a great God who is near to Israel and hears them when they call upon him (4:7).  In the same way, God is near to us today.  By his Spirit, he is present with us always.  No matter what we face, God is with us.  And he hears us when we pray.  He is not to busy to listen to our cares.  And as a great God he has the power to answer our prayers.  Yet as sinners we do not deserve his presence or his listening ear.  That he gives us both is all grace.

God delivered the people from slavery in Egypt (5:6).  In the same way, God has delivered us from slavery to sin.  Once we were in bondage to sin, but now we are free to live for Christ.  Again we did not deserve this, but he has poured out his grace upon us.

God chose Israel to be his treasured possession – not because they were great, but simply because God chose to love them (7:6-8).  They were not lovable (indeed they were repeatedly rebellious), but God chose to love them.  In the same way, while we were still sinners, God loved us, and saved us, and chose us as his treasured people (Romans 5:8, I Peter 2:9-10).  Ponder what it means to be chosen as God’s treasured people!  Grace.

God promised the people that another prophet like Moses would come (18:15-19).  And so he has come – our Lord Jesus Christ who revealed to us the way of God.  Where would we be without Christ?  Lost forever.  But he did come – and that is grace.

Finally, God gave the people good things for them to enjoy (26:11).  And so he showers good things upon us to enjoy.  That is grace.

And how should we respond?  “…worship before the Lord your God.  And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you…” (26:10-11).  As we ponder God’s amazing grace, let us rejoice and worship the Lord today!